Ch1 - Darkening winds
by Theis The Writer
Summary: Shayleen Cooper doesn't know she's not a normal seventeen-year-old. Until the eerie night, she meets the monsters that show her just how untrue that really is.


** Chapter 1**

Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not amid joy.

-Arthur Helps

Darkness crept in and the air was laced with a putrid aroma. Shay gagged as a rancid stench enveloped her, and she pulled her scarf over her mouth and nose. Through a heavy fog, she peered up at the looming incline before her.

Her vision swirled and Shay sucked in a ragged breath before starting her ascent. Each foot finding a place to push off as she climbed unsteadily. She tried to clear her head, to think lucidly, to no avail.

Partway up, her fingers slipped into two small holes. Perplexed, Shay studied the gaping cavities. With a gasp, she pulled her hand back and realized she was gripping the hollow eyes of a human skull.

The empty pits seemed to stare at her, and to her horror, she realized she was clinging onto a mass of bodies. The pungent smell sat at the back of her throat, threatening to bring up the contents of her stomach.

She gagged while leaning over and noticed chunks of bone peeking out between limbs and flesh; That appeared to be bitten.

A large black-winged bird screeched at her before pecking at tissue from a severed arm that tore and came away in shreds. Grotesque faces were mixed in, looming up at her, and she let out a piercing scream and scrambled up. Pieces of bone and flesh spilled below her in a grotesque shower of body parts.

Her fingers were slick and coated in a slimy redness as Shay managed to reach the top, exhausted and breath coming in short fits. She had the misfortune of witnessing what lay out before her:

Limbs entangled together with different shades of skin and severed pieces created a disturbing landscape. And Shay realized to her horror, she was standing alone among the dead.

1 year earlier…

Shay scanned the cluttered wood floor, trying to locate her jean shorts as an alarm shrilled its taunting noise from the small bedside table. Hurry, it seemed to scream.

_I know, I know._ She eyed the glowing red numbers with derision.

After finding the shorts, she sniffed a blue tank top hanging on her chair and threw it on. She pulled her long hair out of her face, then dashed down the stairs to find her grandma sitting at the small table.

"Morning," Shay croaked, then cleared her throat.

"Mmm," her grandma answered, looking distracted by something she was reading in the paper. After she scowled, making the worry lines deepen, she said, "You're late," not taking her eyes off the paper.

"I know," Shay agreed. "Are you going to be at the tables later?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," she answered, smoothing back a piece of sandy hair that escaped from one of the pins.

Shay wrenched the door open and yelled, "Bye," before she ran out the door, climbed into her rusty purple Neon and sped down Hazel Street.

She cranked the air conditioning and started the ten-minute drive to Stonewall High School, speeding shamelessly, as per usual. Evidence of this was a pile of tickets shoved in the glove box.

While stopped at a red light, Shay looked around at all the people opening the little shops for the day. Most had roll-up doors and she could see them unlocking the heavy chains that kept them in place. Old signs hung precariously above, the colours now faded with time.

The heavy security reminded her of the numerous times her grandma had complained that Somberset city used to be a safer place. Before all the clubs, bars, and casinos went up downtown.

Not that the Heights needed to worry about crime, Shay thought grudgingly. Since they all had the gated fences protecting the immaculate landscaping, in front of their monstrous houses they hid behind.

After parking far from the doors, she rushed through the full lot to the wide steps leading up. Shay looked at the unspectacular building, with its square shape and graffiti that varnished most of the brick. The bars in front of the windows took away any appealing aspect of antiqueness that was left. With a sigh, she hurried up the steps to find Marty waiting for her at the top with his nose in a comic book.

"Hey, you're late," he said, pushing his glasses up.

"Any more obvious observations you'd like to make?" Shay asked before noticing a flier on the wall, indicating class rings and yearbook deadlines.

"Long night?" Marty asked, appraising her.

Shay just shrugged. As her best and only friend, what would he think she would have been doing without him? It's not like she would tell him what she was actually doing all night. The fear of ending up with her mom at the mental hospital was too great.

While she waited for him to walk through the metal detectors. Shay noticed his t-shirt, which was a picture of the progression from ape to man and then robot. It was too big on him, draping off his boney shoulders, making him appear skinnier than usual.

Once they reached her locker, Marty leaned against the one beside it, crossing his long legs in front of him as she grabbed her books. His smaller brown eyes scanned the hallway as the last of the kids scurried into their designated rooms. They had first period together, and he said, "Hurry up," while trying to smooth his reddish-brown hair down at the back.

Shay spotted Kyle hurrying by and eyed him. She'd never got over the fact he had hit Marty when they were in middle school. She broke his nose after and had been suspended, but it was worth it to her. Ever since then, nobody dared touch Marty. Shay watched as Kyle cast his eyes down before continuing on past.

After finding seats and waiting for the teacher, Marty was going on about a movie he wanted to see, and Shay was pretending to listen. Mr. Bradley walked in and drew their attention by saying. "I know everybody is eager to get out of here, but try to stay immersed as we go over last weeks exam."

Twenty minutes was left of class, and Shay was feeling the familiar energy running through her. It was creating an uneasiness as the period dragged on. When the bell chimed, indicating the class was over, she sighed with relief and quickly threw her books in her bag.

Mr. Bradley walked over. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, looking around as if to say _alone_.

Marty wiggled his eyebrows at her before turning around to leave.

"Sure, Mr. Bradley, what's up?" she asked.

"You didn't ask me for a referral for any college applications, so I wrote one for you. You're one of my best student's Shayleen, and I wouldn't want you to throw that away by not going. It would truly be a waste," he said handing her the paper.

"Well, yes thank you, I appreciate it," she stuttered.

"You're welcome," he answered, then turned around and walked back to his desk.

Shay was relieved the conversation was over, and she didn't have to tell him she had no idea what her plans were for after. Right now, she was content just working at the bookstore with Marty.

"One of my favorite students," Marty mimicked, as she came out of the room to find him standing there.

She gave him a, you shouldn't eavesdrop look, before she hurried outside to get a smoke in before her next class. The prospect of nicotine was already starting to ease her restlessness.

As soon as Shay lit her cigarette, she saw three girls, all with different shades of fake blonde hair. The one in the middle stood out with her long legs under a miniskirt and a shirt, so revealing you might as well not wear anything at all. Which all led up to brown eyes that were glaring right at her. Whom you could never mistake as anyone other than Danielle. The two other girls beside her were looking over at Shay, whispering and giggling to each other.

"Don't you have a nose job appointment to get to?" Marty yelled to make sure everybody who drifted by could hear. Danielle just dismissed the comment by saying, "Did you hear something?" glancing at the two other girls beside her as they kept on walking.

When the three girls were too far to see, Marty busted out his famous smile, all teeth. Shay thought it was a great smile, but she just rolled her eyes at him.

"I will not miss the Barbie squad, that's for sure," Marty vowed as he looked after them.

"Right," she agreed.

"You know she's jealous of you. Everybody knows it," Marty said.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't launch into your scenario again about how I could take over the social circuit of Stonewall High and knock her out," Shay said with a wave of her hand.

"Well, you know you could, if you acted and dressed like Danielle, and you could take me along with you as your wingman."

"First of all, schools almost over so it's too late for your crazy ideas. And besides, we would have to be a whole hell of a lot cooler than we really are," Shay stated while stepping on her cigarette.

"Yeah, then you'd have to actually put time into what you wear, cake-ing on all that makeup and doing your hair..."

"Hey, I'm going to try not to take that personally."

"Oh, please, have you even looked in a mirror today?" he asked with a laugh.

"Actually no," she said and used her hand to smooth her hair.

"It's gonna take more than that to tame that rat's nest you've got going on."

As they walked to their next class, Marty jokingly added: "Your smoking is another thing that won't help you get to the top. What with premature aging and all the health risks."

When Shay got home, she ran a brush through her hair before tying it up into a ponytail. The weight of her thick hair pulled at her scalp. She stood in front of her mirror and noticed the small red cut along her eyebrow had almost healed. That guy had got a lucky hit in, but she got him back twice as bad, she thought with a justified smile.

She wondered, not for the first time, what her father would look like and if they resembled each other? All she knew was his name, Joseph. She pushed that unwelcome thought away before heading downstairs.

The light over the stairs flickered as she took them two at a time, _great._ She had called the electric company again to remind them of the issue. But didn't feel too hopeful of anything happening about it after speaking with an unhelpful agent. She knew as soon she told them her address it would be dismissed. They didn't like sending techs out to her area.

Shay remembered hearing about an incident on the news a while back. The headline read: Electric company technician beaten up in Oldtown; he remains in critical condition at this time.

With a sigh, she hung up and headed out the door to meet her grandma at the chess tables in the park.

9

©Jenelle Theis


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